Exterior home features, such as windows, skylights, curtain walls, and doors, have typically been tested by manufacturers to determine the ability of the window to resist water penetration. However, due to insurance and manufacturer needs, it has become increasingly important to determine the water penetration resistance of exterior home features already installed within a home.
Typical spray racks used to perform water penetration testing are generally not readily portable for use in the field (i.e., at the home where the exterior feature(s) is to be tested). With this in mind, the make-shift spray racks conventionally used in the field are formed of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe with screw-in water spraying valves. When a test is to be performed in the field, the test administrator typically constructs a spray rack of selected lengths from the plurality of PVC pipe lengths he/she must carry to the site for testing. The rack is made to fit the particular size of the window to be tested and screw-in valves are placed along the PVC pipe lengths as required by the particular test standard being applied.
The assembled rack is then set with respect to the feature to be tested. Traditionally, setting the rack includes taping the PVC pipe rack to at least one ladder, and the ladder(s) are placed a particular distance from the exterior feature to be tested. Placement of the spray rack is further exacerbated by the presence of bushes and other obstacles around the window, curtain wall, or door to be tested. In many cases, due to the precise testing standard specifications that must be met (e.g., distance from nozzle to exterior feature, rate of water release toward window, nozzle-to-nozzle spacing, etc.), the time to assemble the make-shift spray rack is generally between 1 and 2 hours.
Once the spray rack is assembled, a garden hose is attached to the make-shift rack. Water is directed to the exterior feature being tested at a particular rate and in a particular pattern from the valves as defined by the water penetration test standard being employed. Following completion of the water penetration test, the PVC pipe rack is disassembled and stored for subsequent user. A typical PVC rack requires approximately 15–30 minutes to tear down.
As the PVC spray racks are used over and over again, the PVC pipe becomes worn making water tight seals between the various pieces of PVC and the valves more difficult to achieve. Namely, threaded connections become stripped and the PVC pipes become brittle and often crack in cold conditions. The deterioration of the condition of conventional PVC spray racks further lengthens the assembly and disassembly time periods for the spray rack. These time delays are further emphasized when a number of windows are tested at a particular site and when various observers must be present during assembly and testing for legal reasons.